Day 1 - Phnom Penh: Killing Fields, SMILE Village and Check In

After landing in Phnom Penh,  we proceeded up onto the bus towards the Killing Fields. Along the way, we were told about the violent history of Cambodia under the Khmer Rogue.

Upon reaching the Genocide memorial a.k.a the Killing Fields, we went on a tour to understand more about Cambodia's turbulent past. The tour was insightful and we gained a lot of knowledge on our country of visit.

We also left friendships bands on the memorial site as a sign of respect.

After our visit to the Killing Fields, we were brought to a nearby garbage dump. There we learnt that there were people who made a meagre living picking through the trash for recyclable items. Furthermore, these people stayed in squatter communities near the dump site due to their severe poverty level. This was a hard scene to swallow. We then proceeded to the SMILE village which is an NGO run village of transplanted dumpsite squatters.

We were given a tour of the village by the social workers there and then got the opportunity to interact with the children there.

After an hour of playing and seeing the smiling faces of the children there, we were treated to an authentic Cambodian meal cooked by some village ladies. The food was simple but delicious.

We bid farewell to the SMILE village and made our way to the hotel for a well deserved rest. Before heading to bed, we were taught a quick lesson on the Khmer language.

Reflections from Day 1 -

"The surroundings were very different from Singapore. There were slums, stray dogs and even cows. I realised that the real purpose of this trip was to teach us to appreciate the things we have and not take them for granted. We also learnt first hand that are people in the world that survive on way less than what we have. I hope to motivate the Primary School children we are going to meet in a few days. I also hope to share my experiences with my friends back in Singapore." - Niruba (3A)

"Eveyrthing is very different here in Cambodia. The traffic here is so different from Singapore! It is common to see drivers go against traffic here. While at the Killing Fields, I learnt what the people wemt through during Cambodia's violent past. After today's activities, I believe that as international volunteers, we have to have a clear objective and persevere towards it." - Gordon (3N1)